"Brotherhood of Justice" was an ABC Sunday Night Movie televised on May 18, 1986. Keanu was just 21 years old, playing the lead role in a 90 minute drama and a pilot for a proposed television series. The plot was based on a true incident in March, 1985, involving high school vigilantes in Fort Worth, Texas, who achieved notoriety as the "Legion of Doom." The Executive Producers were Jon Peters and Peter Gruber, who would later achieve fame from the 1989 "Batman" film. It was written by Jeffrey Bloom (Columbo episodes) and directed by Charles Braverman (Beverly Hills 90210 and others). It co-starred Kiefer Sutherland as the voice of reason (Victor), Lori Loughlin, as the love interest (Christie), and Billy Zane, as the voice of mob rule. It was filmed at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk (the carousel) and Aptos High School in California.
I have a pet-peeve with movies that are morality tales that show authority figures as incompetent, clueless plot devices, and Brotherhood of Justice does just that. The principal, played by Joe Spano (Hillstreet Blues), responds to the inept police chief's concerns about school safety by calling a special assembly for the senior class and challenging them to "take back the school." Later, at a second assembly, he would claim he was misunderstood by the students, and declare "vigilantism is criminal." But his first speech is in the best Rambo and Chuck Norris tradition (both of whom are mentioned later by students), especially when he ends it with "The wolves are at our front door...we can run or we can fight." Sounds like a clarion call to me. The wolves, by the way, were the drug dealers and the vandals. So six guys on the football team (Keanu plays the quarterback- watch out Shane Falco!) take up the challenge, and we the viewers watch them go from moral righteousness to moral ambiguity to moral corruption.
The L.A. Times concluded that Brotherhood of Justice "hardly makes for compelling viewing" and called it "a routine drama." Two Keanu biographers had dissimilar reactions, one claiming that Keanu "delivered an extremely promising performance" (David Bassom), and the other calling Brotherhood of Justice an "undistinguished early project...calling mainly for [Keanu] to register anxiety and confusion" (Sheila Johnson). Keanu's not too fond of the movie either, later stating "I was bad in that." In the first half-hour, I would agree with him. Keanu as Senior Class Representative? Living in a five bedroom house as the son of a prosperous car dealership owner, with a servant? Quarterback, admired by all? I was used to Keanu, the outsider, the misunderstood, the misfit, the aliennated teen. It wasn't a natural fit. But by the middle of the movie, I was hooked. It started when Victor stood up to the gang to protect one of the "marked," who didn't seem to deserve his fate. I was suddenly absorbed in Derick's (Keanu) struggle to hold on to his relationship with Christie, and hold on to his leadership role with his team, as they increasingly turn more violent.
Although the production values seem dated, Brotherhood of Justice themes are still relevant today (it was still being shown on Lifetime television as late as 1994). I know I felt proud of Derick when he finally does the right thing at the end of the movie and faces jail time. It sure beats Keanu's next project, Babes in Toyland (July, 1986). Remember how he spent his jail time in that one?
The balcony is now open.
"Young Again" is such a refreshing and startling contrast to the roles Keanu played in his early career, that it really stands out. For those fans unfamiliar with this movie, it was the first in a series of six TV dramas Keanu played in 1986. It starred Robert Urich as 40 year old Michael Riley, Lindsay Wagner as his lost love, Jessica Stern, who also worked with Keanu in "Dream to Believe", and Keanu as 17 year old Michael Riley. The opening credits claimed that the film was "introducing Keanu Reeves" though this was Keanu's third film. He failed to mention, to the producers, his involvement in two movies filmed in Toronto: Youngblood and Dream To Believe.The end-credits listed Keanu as "K.C. Reeves." This was during the period Keanu experimented with pseudonyms.
It was the first of several movies in which Keanu was paired romantically with older actresses (let's see, there was "Tune In Tomorrow", "Dangerous Liasons", Prince of Pa., and I am sure others.) It was the first in a film genre, which found success later in the 1980's, of "body-swap" comedies, such as "Peggy Sue Got Married" (1986), "Vice Versa"(1988) and "Big (1988), all of which represented a second chance to make things right or a wish to be big or,...young again. It even continues to be a popular theme today. On the schedule for the new TV season is "Do Over" on the WB network and "Try, Try, Again" on ABC. He's always ahead of the game... "Young Again" was produced by Disney's TV division in 1985 and was broadcast in May, 1986.
Do you believe in synchronicity? Then you're going to love this! In 1983, Keanu, age 19, attended every Sunday a community theater school called Leah Posluns. Its Senior production was "Romeo and Juliet" in the spring of 1985, with guest director...(dramatic pause) Lewis Baumander, and with Keanu in the part of Mercutio. As all Keanuphiles know, this collabaration led to Keanu's performance in "Hamlet" in Winnepeg in 1995. Director Steven Stern of "Young Again" was in Toronto looking for actors for the secondary roles in his upcoming movie. He had dinner with his sister who was the Artistic Director at....(drum role please) Leah Posluns. She excited mentioned the extraordinary performance of one of the actors in the school's play...that would be Keanu. He decided to ask Keanu to audtion for a small part in the movie, but upon meeting him, told him to study the script...for the lead! This, despite the fact that Disney was only interested in casting well-known L.A. actors for the leads. Coincidence? Timing? Luck? Who knows?
Stern recalled that "there was something about [Keanu] I liked as a person.
Funny, yet a serious side." Stern personally paid for Keanu to fly to L.A. to meet with the skeptical Disney executives, who were still hesitant after viewing Keanu's screen test. Stern then asked Michael Eisner to intercede and the rest is history, or fate, or whatever you want to call it. The director fought hard to get the star he wanted because Keanu "reminded me a lot of myself at that age, wanting to be something and hoping and wishing that someone would give [me] the opportunity."
So what's to like about a movie that starts off as a so-so TV-movie about a 40 year old man griping and moaning about his lost youth? Nothing for the first 20 minutes and then Keanu enters the picture and its magic in more ways than one (besides the appearance of the angel, I mean.) Keanu arrives on camera on a transit bus (insert your own Speed joke here.) Then, as one critic noted, he "captures the born-again teenager's energy, euphoria, and delight brilliantly." From his mean boogie in front of the mirror to the song "Shout" (Tom Cruise, eat your heart out. Forget about "Risky Business"),
to his skateboard odyssey through the Mall, to his disco fever on the dance floor (John Travolta, you've got nothing to worry about), to his basketball montage, he is pure energy and it's a pleasure just to be along for the ride.
Stern summed it up best: "he had an enormous, excessive energy level...he was funny and full of life, and there was a sweet innocence about him."
And then there is a shift that makes the movie a step above the usual light fare of TV movie comedy. Sheila Johnston (Keanu Biographer) credited Keanu with a "layered performance, suggesting maturity, sensitivity, and life experience that set him apart from his schoolmates." It starts with his discomfort over "cow-tipping" and leads to his lectures on high cholesterol and the treatment of women. Eventually, Michael chooses to eat at the faculty table at lunch and we're happy to be there with him.
"Young Again" was the first film in which Keanu was noticed by critics. Variety remarked that "teenager K.C. Reeves steps in with terrific success as Urich the youth. Reeves' open-faced, exuberant study...goes along way towards keeping the fantasy in the realm of reality." Not a bad start, huh? When Michael finally tells Laura that he is really 40 years old, and she believes him, the audience accepts her acceptance of his story. Of course it ends happily, except for Stern. He called Keanu in the summer of 1986 to offer him another role. But Keanu was in Munich (Babes in Toyland) and on his way to international fame and superstardom.
The balcony is now open.
[thank you to POTD club and this site for pictures--krix]